The Houston Texans won Saturday, but it looked more like they escaped.

Even though they settled for too many field goals (four), the Texans relied on Arian Foster and a strong defensive effort to outlast the Cincinnati Bengals, 19-13, to start NFL Wild-Card Weekend. The Texans will likely have to play much better to beat the New England Patriots next weekend. However, the Texans won their playoff opener for the second straight year, and winning ugly was better than not winning at all.

1. Arian Foster looks as fresh as he did in Week 1. Not only were Foster’s stats impressive (32 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD), but he also made decisive cuts and maximized almost every run. Foster is the kind of elite back that the Texans can ride, home or away, against any opponent. Matt Schaub needs to make more plays for the Texans to have a shot at advancing farther. But having Foster gives the Texans a chance to get things done against anyone.

2. Houston’s defense is still capable of rising to the occasion. The Texans’ defense did not give up a touchdown, and stopped surrendering the big plays that had haunted that unit in recent weeks. Cincinnati’s only TD came on a pick-six by cornerback Leon Hall. The Texans’ pass rush, led by J.J. Watt, put enough pressure on Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to make him uncomfortable.

Is the Texans’ defense ready for Tom Brady, who carved the Texans up during the regular season? Maybe not, but confidence is important this time of year, and this game will give some to the Texans’ defense.

3. The Bengals are still not ready for prime time. Cincinnati was abysmal on offense. Dalton struggled. A.J. Green didn’t have a catch until the second half. It seemed almost impossible for the Bengals to convert on third down. And Marvin Lewis’ career playoff record fell to 0-4.

The Bengals closed the season strong to make the playoffs and believed they were ready to win in Houston. But they didn’t look ready. The Bengals have a talented young nucleus, but plenty of quarterbacks in the playoff are more dynamic than Dalton. When they needed him to have a big game, Dalton turned in a dud.